Warsaw, September 1944. On the eastern bank of the Vistula, a group of civilians live in a house cut off from the fighting across the river. Tadeusz, a young poet who has lost both legs, struggles with his helplessness as the Warsaw Uprising continues. His younger brother Witek dreams of crossing the river to join the fight, while Tadeusz grows closer to Katarzyna. As soldiers, refugees and resistance fighters pass through the house, its inhabitants confront the devastation of war and the uncertain future of a country caught between two worlds.